This is a second part series. You can read the first part here- Why I don’t believe in retirement.
So if I don’t believe in retirement, what will I do instead? In the first part of this series, I talked about how instead of retirement…
I believe in rest that repeats
This rest restores us so we can work again.
This idea below isn’t a Biblical model, but it follows the principle of rest that repeats. This is my goal for rest that I will try to follow for the rest of my life instead of waiting for retirement-
Every 7 days, I will take one day to rest.
Every 7 weeks, I will take one week to rest.
Every 7 months, I will take one month to rest.
Every 7 years, I will take one year to rest.
I will do this until the day I die.
This is just an example of a different alternative way to live a life that doesn’t have retirement as an end goal.
I believe In work that changes shape
I believe in staying engaged, even gently, for as long as we’re here. For Nate this might mean retiring from his 9-5 and setting up a foundation to help young folks learn about the trade he worked in his whole life- carpentry. It might mean flipping houses or doing habitat for humanity. The point is that he’ll still work, but he’ll choose his work and his hours. He’ll fulfill his calling.
What is a person’s calling? I made this video about it here.
For me, I will continue to do all the things that spark my interest – home decor, writing, fashion, etc. I may teach an English writing class that focuses on helping students get to know themselves better. I will focus on work that feels meaningful to me.
What does it mean to have meaningful work? I made a video about meaningful work here.
So I just took a week off last week as per my “every 7 weeks, take 1 week off” rhythm of rest and I did a little staycation at home that I’ll write about tomorrow. What do you think of this alternative model to retirement? I’d love to know!